The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 8 July 2024 – Uncountable Descendants
TOPIC: Uncountable Descendants
READ: Genesis 13: 1-18 (NKJV)
- Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.
- Abram [was] very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
- And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
- to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
- Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
- Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
- And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
- So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we [are] brethren.
- “[Is] not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If [you take] the left, then I will go to the right; or, if [you go] to the right, then I will go to the left.”
- And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it [was] well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
- Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.
- Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched [his] tent even as far as Sodom.
- But the men of Sodom [were] exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.
- And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are — northward, southward, eastward, and westward;
- “for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.
- “And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, [then] your descendants also could be numbered.
- “Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”
- Then Abram moved [his] tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which [are] in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD.
THE MESSAGE:
How did Abraham receive the promise of uncountable descendants? (v.16). The promise also indicated that the entire territory, stretching for several kilometers in all directions, would belong to him and his descendants (vv.14-15). Perhaps, these promises strengthened his faith in God who had made similar promises in Genesis 12: 2-3. The promise was followed with a specific instruction to physically experience various parts of the Canaan land that would belong to him later (v.17).
We are not told why this promise came only after the painful separation from Lot, his nephew (v.14) which was prompted by the strife between their staff (v.7). Abraham gave Lot the option of choosing first any part of the land he desired (v.9) and he chose the fertile Jordan valley which was well watered (v.10). Many years later, that beautiful location came under divine judgement (vv.10&13). Be mindful of your choices in life because “All that glitters is not gold.”
Pray for God’s guidance before choosing your life partner, career, job, etc. Like Abraham, God has set before us many great and precious promises that cover every aspect of our lives (2Pet. 1: 4). We need to know and appropriate them.
Do you have any intentional plan of searching the scriptures for God’s promises? Devise one today!
PRAYER: O God, thank you for your great and precious promises.
